For the fourth straight year in a row, the Detroit Red Wings fell apart in March.
This time around, the team went 5-7-2, which, somehow, is an improvement over last season's 4-10-0 record. It can be hard to look on the bright side of things, especially when this leg of the season has been so bleak. The bad news is that, with eight games left on the season, the Red Wings are in a three-way tie and a two-point deficit fighting for a Wild Card spot.
The good news is that March is finally over.
For some reason, this month has always been the Red Wings' kryptonite. Over the last four years, Detroit has a combined record of 17-35-5. In regular season terms, this is 39 points across 57 games. If Detroit's March average was extrapolated over an entire NHL season, that's a 56-point campaign.
Quick facts about Detroit's season:
1. The Red Wings have a combined March record of 17-35-5 across four seasons.
2. In regular season terms, this amounts to 39 points across 57 games.
They're 7-10-2 since the start of January -- 16 points in 19 games.
3. If Detroit's March average was a full NHL season, it would be a 56-point campaign.
The Vancouver Canucks, the worst team in the NHL, have 50 points in 73 games. If they win another three games, they'll tie this record.
Time to breathe a sigh of relief
Some people believe the March Sadness to be a curse. After all, what other team in the NHL collapses like this year in and year out? Others believe it's a mental thing. After all, it's been psychologically proven that overthinking can negatively affect your performance. You could, of course, attribute this year's record to injury luck. The team did lose their top two centers, after all.
No matter what you believe, the important thing is to recognize that March is finally over. Any superstitions about March and production have all come to an end. This is, without a doubt, a relief for both sides of the aisle. For the doubters, it's confirmed what they've already come to believe about this team. For the hopeful, it means the team can put this rough patch behind them and push onward.
It certainly helps that the team is still within striking distance of the playoffs.
No time to let up
Having said that, now is not the time for the team to play passively. March showed that they've still got a ways to go before the season's done. Until they clinch or go home, every game needs to have that game seven playoff feel to it. If the Red Wings truly believe in themselves, they need to make every second count on the ice. Every shift, long or short, needs to have a sense of urgency.
No matter what happens this season, the Red Wings have some serious questions to ask themselves about the makeup of this roster.
At least now they can shake off the March Sadness, though.